“Pay no attention to that (wo)man behind the curtain.” Â – The Wizard, The Wizard of Oz

Sometimes it’s nice to not participate in the conversation. Â Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and listen. Â I did a little eavesdropping on a really fascinating conversation yesterday among some of the top social media specialists about the hot topic of personal branding. Â Geoff Livingston of Buzz Bin, Amber Naslund, Frank Martin, Mitch Joel and several other folks chimed in. Â

If there’s nothing to back it up in terms of product or service, then all the communication in the world is just so much spin… and the world doesn’t need more of that. Â

Speaking of what the world needs, who knew Brian Clark was a closet (or maybe that’s phone booth, in this case) Clark Kent? Â

Yesterday’s post about changing the world with social media? Â Brilliant. Â As Brian’s gotten increasingly busy running Teaching Sells, Lateral Action, and possibly the government of some small Caribbean island he’s no doubt now got the money to buy, he’s done a great job of having uber-talented guest authors fill in on Copyblogger, but posts like this remind me of why I started reading it in the first place.Â

Read it. Â Do it now. Â If you’ve been wondering what the heck all these crazy social media folks are so excited about, this is it. Â This is why I want to do this stuff. Â It’s what keeps me going when I hear folks getting all excited because HOLY COW WE’VE FOUND A WAY TO SPAM FOLKS FOR CASH ON TWITTER! Â

(To be fair, don’t think I didn’t consider it. Â According to Magpie’s calculations, my Twitter ramblings could earn enough to support my rather alarming chai latte habit. Â Of course, it would also completely alienate me from the 600 or so folks I’ve been working my hiney off to get the privilege of communicating with, but hey… chai lattes, people. Â Gotta keep them coming.)

But back to the idea of Brian Clark in tights… Two other brief, rambling thoughts connected to the idea of building a personal brand. Â

In social media, your personal brand can be a sort of secret identity. Â (I’m not saying that’s all it is, I’m just saying that from the inside of it, it can function that way.) Â As social media strategists and consultants, we’re being asked to be our clients’ and/or our company’s trusty guide through scary and unfamiliar territory. Â

I very much took to heart the comments some very smart folks made last week refuting the idea that there can even BE social media experts. Â But the folks who are relying on us need to know that we have some level of expertise. Â Mistakes are to be expected–this is still mostly uncharted territory. Â But confidence is key. Â

For a while it seemed like there were two of me: the smart, confident, talky person I was online, and the “real” me I’d always been offline. Â If I hadn’t learned to integrate the social skills and confidence I gained online into my “real world” identity, I might have been able to provide some valuable advice to clients, but fear that they’d discover “the real me” would have crippled my effectiveness. Â

I would warn anybody new to all this, who is having a similar experience, to be very wary of mentally siloing your life into “my social media self” and “my real self.” Â Social media is a set of tools, not a magical, super-power imbuing costume. Â The tools don’t replace the need to relate to folks in real life. Â They canÂ and should help you gain confidence in your ability to do so.

“My worlds are colliding, Jerry!” Â George Costanza, SeinfeldÂ

Which brings me to my last tangent: I’m going to be getting the opportunity to do some of that real world socializing next week. Â I’ll be attending my first Pubcon in Las Vegas on behalf of Doe-Anderson and Social Media Explorer. Â In addition to getting to meet and talk with some of the folks I’ve so far only met online, I’m completely excited about getting to pick the brains of internet marketing geniuses in the sessions. (And I think that the “Is Social Media & Search a Love Story or a War Story” may cover similar ground asÂ a previous post of mine.)Â

If I’m not an “expert” I’m at least committed to always learning more about this work I love. Â

So there you have it. Â In addition to leaving you with the daunting mental image of Brian Clark in tights and Jason Alexander in tight jeans, I’ve managed to leave you with a lot of interesting links to follow, conversations to chime in on, and (if you’re going to Pubcon) an open invitation to Tweet me and meet up. Â

Have a great Friday, and a great weekend everybody.

About the Author

Kat French

Kat French is the Client Services and Content Manager at SME Digital. An exceptional writer, Kat combines creativity with an agile, get-it-done attitude across a broad range of experience in content strategy, copywriting, community management and social media marketing. She has worked with national brands like Maker's Mark, Daytona Beach Tourism, CafePress and more.

Ton of great links to follow up on, thanks! I am really skeptical about social media “gurus.” I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm sure some are very good and can add value. I just happen to know a few guys who've written a junky little Facebook app and are now suddenly calling themselves “experts.” I don't think “expert” can be a self-appointed title – you're only an expert when a lot of people consider you to be one for the field that you're in.

Ton of great links to follow up on, thanks! I am really skeptical about social media “gurus.” I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm sure some are very good and can add value. I just happen to know a few guys who've written a junky little Facebook app and are now suddenly calling themselves “experts.” I don't think “expert” can be a self-appointed title – you're only an expert when a lot of people consider you to be one for the field that you're in.

Ton of great links to follow up on, thanks! I am really skeptical about social media “gurus.” I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm sure some are very good and can add value. I just happen to know a few guys who've written a junky little Facebook app and are now suddenly calling themselves “experts.” I don't think “expert” can be a self-appointed title – you're only an expert when a lot of people consider you to be one for the field that you're in.

KatFrench

I like that idea; that “expert” can't be a self-appointed title. I like “strategist,” “practictioner,” and “specialist,” myself.

You are well liked because you are authentic Ã¢â‚¬â€ the same online and off. When some people attempt to build online and offline brands, it creates a clash and even a brand crash in person.

Funny. I never considered you a social media expert because you're so well grounded in communication. So please don't take it to heart. Think of it differently.

A decent analogy might be that if you are plumber who happens to be especially good with wrench doesn't become a wrench expert. They remain a plumber. However, a wrench expert might never be a plumber, which certainly becomes a challenge when the sink starts to leak.

You are well liked because you are authentic Ã¢â‚¬â€ the same online and off. When some people attempt to build online and offline brands, it creates a clash and even a brand crash in person.

Funny. I never considered you a social media expert because you're so well grounded in communication. So please don't take it to heart. Think of it differently.

A decent analogy might be that if you are plumber who happens to be especially good with wrench doesn't become a wrench expert. They remain a plumber. However, a wrench expert might never be a plumber, which certainly becomes a challenge when the sink starts to leak.

You are well liked because you are authentic â€” the same online and off. When some people attempt to build online and offline brands, it creates a clash and even a brand crash in person.

Funny. I never considered you a social media expert because you're so well grounded in communication. So please don't take it to heart. Think of it differently.

A decent analogy might be that if you are plumber who happens to be especially good with wrench doesn't become a wrench expert. They remain a plumber. However, a wrench expert might never be a plumber, which certainly becomes a challenge when the sink starts to leak.

All my best, Rich

KatFrench

Post some Manly Man stuff next week to make up for it. Something maybe like this. (Warning: Prolly NS for most workplaces).

Then again, someone would probably just counter with something like this.

KatFrench

Post some Manly Man stuff next week to make up for it. Something maybe like this. (Warning: Prolly NS for most workplaces).

Then again, someone would probably just counter with something like this.

KatFrench

Any guy who will don a green satin evening gown for others' entertainment pleasure is worth quoting, clearly.

And “fun read” was mostly what I was shooting for with this post, so mission accomplished. :) Happy Friday!

KatFrench

Any guy who will don a green satin evening gown for others' entertainment pleasure is worth quoting, clearly.

And “fun read” was mostly what I was shooting for with this post, so mission accomplished. :) Happy Friday!

KatFrench

Absolutely! Caught them last time they were in town. They wrote an impromptu song dedicated to the portolet vendor for the concert. Even the portolet song sounded good. :)

KatFrench

Absolutely! Caught them last time they were in town. They wrote an impromptu song dedicated to the portolet vendor for the concert. Even the portolet song sounded good. :)

I knew I liked you, oh smart and savvy BNL fan. :) I really enjoyed your take on this. And I think many of us are still navigating our way through nebulous waters, but in the end, i'm thankful for anything that brings people together and lets us all see a bit more of each other. And as for experts, that's all relative anyway. Someone always knows more, but then it's my hope that I can help those that know less. :)

I knew I liked you, oh smart and savvy BNL fan. :) I really enjoyed your take on this. And I think many of us are still navigating our way through nebulous waters, but in the end, i'm thankful for anything that brings people together and lets us all see a bit more of each other. And as for experts, that's all relative anyway. Someone always knows more, but then it's my hope that I can help those that know less. :)

I knew I liked you, oh smart and savvy BNL fan. :) I really enjoyed your take on this. And I think many of us are still navigating our way through nebulous waters, but in the end, i'm thankful for anything that brings people together and lets us all see a bit more of each other. And as for experts, that's all relative anyway. Someone always knows more, but then it's my hope that I can help those that know less. :)

Thanks for a fun read.

KatFrench

Any guy who will don a green satin evening gown for others' entertainment pleasure is worth quoting, clearly.

And “fun read” was mostly what I was shooting for with this post, so mission accomplished. :) Happy Friday!

Nice rant, I enjoyed reading Geoff's post yesterday. I agree a lot of people hide behind social media tools and utilize them to act differently and put forward different web personalities than one might have in real life. But like you mentioned, should help in the real world of communication and human interaction.

P.S. – I love how you used Seinfeld and Springsteen quotes. Two favs of mine, you can never go wrong with.

Nice rant, I enjoyed reading Geoff's post yesterday. I agree a lot of people hide behind social media tools and utilize them to act differently and put forward different web personalities than one might have in real life. But like you mentioned, should help in the real world of communication and human interaction.

P.S. – I love how you used Seinfeld and Springsteen quotes. Two favs of mine, you can never go wrong with.

Nice rant, I enjoyed reading Geoff's post yesterday. I agree a lot of people hide behind social media tools and utilize them to act differently and put forward different web personalities than one might have in real life. But like you mentioned, should help in the real world of communication and human interaction.

P.S. – I love how you used Seinfeld and Springsteen quotes. Two favs of mine, you can never go wrong with.